Scarlet Magazine

Scarlet is a student run feminist magazine at Poughkeepsie Day School in Poughkeepsie, NY. Our mission statement is: to provide a magazine for independent thinking and fiercely smart girls ages 12 to 18, and to produce a publication that reflects alternative views and values from those of the popular media. The magazine emerged as part of an elective course in 2005. The goal of the class was to examine and combat the ways in which girls lose confidence and lose their voices during adolescence. The course was open to girls in the 7th through 12th grades. Nearly thirty signed up.

By exposing middle and high school girls to the different versions of feminism and its different definitions of womanhood and allowing them to embrace the voice these give them in collectively writing and publishing a magazine, we hope to encourage a different path through adolescence; one not marked by decreased class involvement and motivation but instead by a celebration of the power of young women. One of the exercises we did was to each define what feminism means to us. I have a few quotes from what different people said in 2005:

Feminism is: “Speaking out, making your own choices, and being happy with yourself. This matters, because it inspires us to live.”

“Feminism is important, because the way we are treated by society will govern our lives. Also, women have been treated as objects of desire for too long, and feminism questions and overturns that.”“Feminism is the idea that it “sucks” a little bit more to be a girl than a boy.Feminism is: “When a person, male or female speaks out against the general stereotype that is presented and tries to change it.”

This last one sums up what we were and are trying to do, explore and strategize with young women about how to speak out against the general stereotype of womanhood as submission and silence. We hope that you'll explore our new and improved website where you can see all three of our publications in full as well as purchase printed copies.